Beef Bourguignon 🇫🇷

Beef Bourguignon is a magnificent French stew featuring tender morsels of beef that are marinated and then slowly braised in red wine and a rich, tasty stock.  Use any dry red such as Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon - nothing expensive.  Even if you don't normally drink wine, you will appreciate the unique way it enhances the flavour of the dish.  Traditionally, the stew is cooked with bacon, onion, garlic, carrots, shallots and herbs on the stove top and then in the oven.  This recipe has it all done on the stove top.    The addition of button mushrooms sautéed separately in butter and garlic towards the end of the cooking process elevates the deliciousness of the stew to another level.  Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes and steamed green for a very special meal.  Bon Appétit.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 500g / 1lb 2oz beef chuck steak or gravy beef, cut into 4cm / 1½" chunks
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 garlic cloves (2 cloves crushed with skins on, 1 clove peeled and finely chopped)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme (can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of dried thyme)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 60g / 2¼oz bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 150g / 5½oz French shallots or pickling onions, peeled, halved if large
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup beef stock
• 200g / 7oz button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

METHOD

1. Place beef in a large non-metallic bowl.  Add wine, 2 crushed garlic cloves, thyme and bay leave.  Cover and marinade the beef in the fridge for several hours, overnight if you can.
2. Drain the liquid into a bowl.  Reserve marinade, garlic and herbs.
3. Line a tray with paper towels.  Spread the beef out, then pat dry with more paper towels on top.
4. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based pot on medium heat.  Add bacon and fry until crisp and brown.  Remove to a dish with a slotted spoon, leaving any oil/bacon fat behind.
5. Turn the heat up to high.  Add the beef in batches and brown all over.  Add more oil if necessary.  Remove to the dish with the bacon. 
6. With the residual oil/bacon fat in the pot, sauté the onion and carrot for about 2 minutes over medium heat.  
7. Return the bacon and the beef back into the pot.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with flour.  Toss and cook for 1-2 minutes until well incorporated.  Stir in the tomato paste.
8. Add the shallots, reserved wine, garlic, herbs and beef stock.  Bring it to the boil.  Cover and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beef is very tender and the sauce has thickened.  Check and stir once or twice during the cooking period.  Add a little more stock if it is looking dry.
9. In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, heat butter in a medium-size frying pan over medium heat until melted.  Add mushrooms and chopped garlic.  Sauté for 2 minutes until they are lightly browned, then stir into the pot with the beef.   Let simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes.  Have a taste of the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley.